How Meditation Actually Helps Your Brain

Whether you’re a fan of sitting with your eyes closed in silence or not, meditation is here to stay. Here’s why science says it works.

Some people balk at the practice but others claim that it’s a life-saver. What exactly happens when you close your eyes to reflect on nothingness?

Unlike other realms of “natural” solutions to health and wellness problems, meditation has actually been scientifically proven to do something for you.

First of all, it appears that practicing some kind of meditation regularly can fight off the effects of aging. A study out of UCLA found that people who had meditated for an average of 20 years or more had more grey matter volume in their brains than people of the same age who never meditated.

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Grey matter reduces in the brain as we age. That of the meditators was still smaller in volume when compared to the brain of a young person, but those who meditated over the long haul experienced less loss.

Meditation has also been proven to be somewhat effective at fighting depression and anxiety. A study done at Johns Hopkins showed that people who experienced depression and anxiety had the same benefits from meditating as they got from taking anti-depressants.

And if you’d like to get away from thinking in self-centered ways, meditation can also help you in this area. It’s been found to reduce activity in the “me” centers of the brain, enhancing connectivity between other regions of your thoughts.

Still unconvinced? Try it for a while and see if your concentration and attention improve. The only thing you’ve lost is about 5 minutes a day of your time- something you could likely have spent staring into space, anyways.